New research study led by outstanding UHDB colleague aiming to address health inequalities in Deaf communities
Researchers at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) are leading a new study to tackle long-standing health inequalities in the Deaf* community - having been awarded over £100,000 from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Led by Dr Anna Selby PhD, Research and Postgraduate Manager at the Pulvertaft Hand Centre, the research will bring together a partnership between UHDB, the University of Leeds and University of Sheffield, and two Derby-based charities – Communication Unlimited and the Royal School for the Deaf Derby (RSDD). The study is taking a fully participatory approach, ensuring that Deaf people are not just research subjects but active partners in shaping healthcare improvements.
Through a series of in-person and online workshops, Deaf individuals will share their experiences of navigating NHS services and highlight the areas where change is needed most urgently. A separate group will focus on the views of young Deaf people aged 16 to 19, ensuring their voices are included in shaping how care is delivered for our Deaf communities longer-term.
Having previously worked on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives in healthcare research, Dr Selby was inspired to explore Deaf health inequalities after witnessing first-hand the challenges a Deaf family member of her husband faced when trying to access emergency healthcare.
“I saw the NIHR call and started to look into the literature around Deaf health inequalities and was shocked to discover that Deaf people have poorer health, often due to an inability to access healthcare,” said Dr Selby.
She continued: “Derby has one of the largest Deaf communities outside of London, yet research into their specific health needs remains limited. Through this project, we want to ensure that Deaf voices are at the heart of research and service development so that real, meaningful improvements can be made.”
Many Deaf people struggle to access the right healthcare at the right time, because medical information is not always provided in British Sign Language (BSL), which is the first language for many in the Deaf community. This means that medical advice, appointment booking systems, and even conversations with healthcare professionals can sometimes be difficult to understand.
When interpreters are not available, or when information is only provided in written English, Deaf individuals can be left without the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health.
These challenges contribute to serious health inequalities. Research has shown that Deaf people are more likely to experience heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues, and are at greater risk of receiving a late diagnosis for conditions like cancer. Many report avoiding visits to their GP or hospital due to past experiences of struggling to communicate or not feeling listened to, which can lead to delays in diagnosis, and treatments as a result, that impact their long-term health.
To support Deaf patients accessing services at UHDB, interpreters can be booked in advance for pre-planned appointments, and a floating BSL interpreter is available at Royal Derby Hospital on Mondays and Fridays to support with urgent appointments and ward rounds. Many frontline staff have received Deaf awareness training and some basic sign language instruction, and the Trust remains committed to building on this foundation. In addition, we have innovative digital devices that offer access to remote interpreters live, including through a system called LanguageLine which supports instant translation for a range of spoken languages >, as well as BSL through remote interpreter service SignLive - and we continue to work on improving their reliability, suitability, and availability across our sites.
However, this new research will help to identify where further improvements can be made by working directly with Deaf people in our communities to co-create solutions and remove barriers to accessing healthcare.
Alison Jones, CEO of Communication Unlimited, said: “After many years of challenges in accessing healthcare information, we are thrilled to be involved in a project to tackle health inequalities for Deaf people. It is a valuable project with an important aim to change things for Deaf people both in Derby and across the country – enabling them to access health information on equal terms, in line with the strategic commitment by the Trust.”
The study will co-produce new approaches by actively involving Deaf people at the heart of the research through every stage, from setting priorities to testing potential improvements in services. Rather than making assumptions about what the community needs, this approach will allow researchers and healthcare providers to work alongside Deaf individuals to co-design services that are truly accessible and inclusive.
Charity partners will host focus groups both in person within Derby and online, where Deaf people will share their lived experiences and help identify the most pressing healthcare issues. Once priorities have been identified, they will be shared with the wider Deaf community through a BSL-interpreted online video, and smaller working groups of Deaf individuals, NHS staff, and university researchers will develop new ideas, test solutions, and apply for further funding to implement changes. Digital accessibility tools, improved interpreter services, and new models of communication will also be explored as potential ways to enhance healthcare access for Deaf patients.
Dr Gisela Robinson, Executive Chief Medical Officer at UHDB, said: “It is fantastic to see Dr Selby leading this important work. Importantly, this recognises our commitment as an anchor institution in working to reduce health inequalities in our communities. I am very excited to see how we can apply the outcome of this research into designing health services locally in the future to reduce this inequality in the care of our Deaf communities.”
Lessons learned from this study will inform service improvements at UHDB, but also across the NHS nationally on how we can better serve Deaf patients across the country collectively.
The study represents a significant step toward ensuring that Deaf individuals can access the same quality of healthcare as hearing patients. By providing the Deaf community with a platform to share their experiences and shape future services, this research will help to create a more inclusive NHS where every patient’s needs are understood and met.
Quotes from partners involved in the study
Marie Clampitt, BSL Lead from Royal School for the Deaf Derby, said: "We are looking forward to partnering with the NHS to facilitate research into the lived experiences of Deaf people in the NHS, all with an eye to building healthy futures for all Deaf children and young people."
Professor Daniel Hind, University of Leeds, and investigator on the study, added: "This project embodies the university’s commitment to inclusive, impactful research and the NHS Long Term Plan's commitment to reducing health inequalities and improving access to care for all.
"By amplifying the voices of the Deaf community in healthcare planning and delivery, we're working to ensure Deaf people can access the full range of NHS services they are entitled to. This will help create a more inclusive NHS that better serves all members of society."
*The word deaf is used to describe anyone who does not hear very much. Sometimes it is used to refer to people who are severely hard of hearing too. In some settings you might see the term ‘hearing-impaired’ but many people find being labelled ‘impaired’ offensive and inaccurate, so we don’t use that term.
We use Deaf with a capital D to refer to people who have been deaf all their lives, or since before they started to learn to talk. They are pre-lingually deaf. It is an important distinction, because many Deaf people use sign language as their only or preferred language.